Passed Out
by M-useless100
Summary: A series of one-shots that follow a skeleton of a timeline. I don't own ATLA: ZUTARA!
1. Passed Out

**Hey all! So I've edited this a bit at the end. Per Request of Ruby of Raven I've added a bit more, okay a lot more, Zutara action. They're totally right though. I just didn't want this to be total fluff, but to hell with pride! I love me some Zutara!**

**I dunno if I'll move forward with this story. It would be a real test of my creative juices. As of right now it's just a one shot. Guess it depends on the amount of interest there is from you guys. Let me know!**

* * *

He wants to pass out. He needs to, but for whatever cruel reason the universe decides to keep him awake as his captors deliver blow after blow.

_Where is the Avatar? _

_Where is the Avatar? _

_Where is the Avatar? _

The questions are shot at him faster and faster until they overlap and echo in his mind, bouncing off the far corners until they create a chorus of angry voices that threaten to overwhelm him. Maybe he'll go crazy before they can get any information out of him. Of course, they'll kill him as soon as he's no longer useful. Then they'll focus on Katara if they hadn't already. That's his main worry: Katara. He feels largely responsible for letting them get captured. He'd let his guard down and led the two of them straight into a trap. Now here he is chained to chair being treated like a piñata. The only difference is he isn't going to give them what they want. No matter how hard they hit him.

"Mmff!" he grunts as one of the black clad men viciously hits him in the ribcage..

"Tell us where the Avatar is." Zuko doesn't lift his head to glare at who is talking. He'd given up glaring and sarcastic remarks.

His stony silence receives a few more blows. His eyes roll in his head and he sees stars but after a few minutes he's conscious and coherent. The room is silent except for his own ragged breathing and the breathing of his captors.

"Where's Katara?" he attempts to have some confidence in his question but his voice is ragged from repeated strangling. He receives a slap to the face in response.

"You don't get to ask questions. If you want something then give me something. Where is the avatar? We know you're traveling with his group of rebels."

Zuko stares into his lap and tries to reign in his fury. He could endure broken ribs, split lips, burns, strangles but he had never been able to stand a slap to the face. It is the least painful of any physical attack but it reeks of superiority. When you slap someone you aren't trying to make them bleed. You slap someone to show them who's boss.

"It's funny," Zuko says without looking up, "how someone can think that asking the same question over and over again will get different results," Zuko says with a humorless chuckle. He hears footsteps approach and knows they're going to hit him. Then he quietly says, "Dangerous too. It makes you predictable." Zuko lifts his head to look his interrogator in the eyes. Suddenly he releases a huge pillar of flames from his mouth toward the man; something his Uncle taught him. Caught off guard the man isn't able to dodge fast enough and Zuko laughs as he runs around the room in panic while his comrades try to put out the flames eating up his sleeve.

Sometime during the panic someone quiets Zuko blow to the head. He sinks gratefully into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Unnngh..." Zuko moans and splutters as cold water is dumped over him. He looks around with some difficulty. He's laying on his stomach back in the room that he and Katara had been thrown into on that first day. He sees Katara with her hands tied behind her, a sight Zuko doesn't welcome. Despite the ropes she looks no worse for the wear as stares back at him with a concerned expression. As he tries to get up he discovers his hands are chained behind his back. A strong jerk on those chains sends a shooting pain up his arms.

"Get up," a gruff voice commands.

"I've stayed in stables where any rabbitass could give better service than this," Zuko says loudly. Another jerk on the chain makes him clench his jaw in pain but it relentlessly pulls him up into a kneeling position. Someone from behind grabs his hair and jerks back his head. Angry golden eyes glare down at him.

"You've been nothing but a thorn in my side." It's the man Zuko burned; the leader of the group. "You won't give us what we want, but maybe she will." Zuko follows his gaze and realizes with horror that they're going to question Katara. He knows her loyalty to Aang will force her to die before she gives him up to these men.

"No!" he shouts in defiance. The man ignores Zuko and motions for a couple of burly looking guards to enter her cage. Fear ripples through Zuko and his body reacts.

It's amazing what adrenaline will do. It feels like he's, well not bursting with strength, but is having a surge of power. He throws his weight backwards, thrusting his hard head into the stomach of the man holding him. With a grunt the man doubles over. Zuko rolls to his left before the man can pin him down with his own weight. Three of the leader's grunts rush forward but Zuko spins on his back and kicks fire at his attackers forcing them on the defensive. He jumps to his feet as they back away.

"You want to touch her? You'll have to go through me!" he shouts in a rage. He knows this is big talk for someone who's hands are still chained behind their back but he'd be damned before he let them hurt her. One man jumps forward and throws a right hook. Zuko dodges and kicks the man in the stomach as he stumbles forward. He jumps on him slamming him into the ground. Zuko barely registers that the man is unconscious before a kick to his injured left side sends him rolling. Hissing in pain he uses the momentum to get back into a crouched position. He moves to attack but as he leaps forward a sharp jerk on the length of chain binding him sends him reeling backwards. He cries out as his shoulder is torn from it's socket. He lands on his back further aggravating the shoulder and knocking the air out of him. He lays there gasping for air as a few hot tears stream down into his hairline.

"Zuko!" he hears Katara scream followed by what sounds like a slap. She won't be silenced though. "Zuko get up!" she shouts. She's not a quitter and isn't about to let him give up. Or maybe she's just worried about him...

A face comes into focus above him. "Are you brought down so easily, Prince Zuko?" The taunting gets to him. He gathers his energy for one last breath of fire but is unexpectedly gagged. "We are not fooled by the same trick twice." the man hisses. "Now comes your punishment. You'll watch as your friend's loyalty becomes her demise." He laughs cruelly.

"Unnngh!" Zuko tries to scream around his gag. He wants to beg them to spare her. They drag him by his bonds to a wall facing Katara's cage. The pain in his shoulder makes more tears come. He hates how weak he is. He can't save himself. How in the name of Agni will he save her? He struggles to his knees and fights with all his might against the strength of the man dragging him. He manages to throw him off balance with his erratic jerks but another man joins in and Zuko is finally chained to the wall. The leader approaches Zuko and hits him hard. He crumples forward stunned.

The creak of a cage door brings him back to his senses. He lifts his head from the hard floor to see two burly men enter Katara's cage. He fights against his bonds and screams into his gag. Not her! She's too good, too innocent, too beautiful and kind and pure for this. Zuko is brought up short as he realizes what he just admitted. In a sudden epiphany Zuko realizes he loves her. He pauses for moment in wonder. He loves her. He loves her! Oh Agni what has he done! He's gotten them captured and now as he's chained and broken with no way to help her!

The burned leader smirks down at Zuko's still form thinking he is beaten. Suddenly Zuko renews his struggle, startling the guards around him. It's so viscous and single-minded that they involuntarily take a step back. Zuko's mind is flooded with all the reasons he loves her. The crease in between her eyebrows as she struggles to master a difficult water bending move. Her terrible cooking though no one except Sokka would ever complain. Her thick, dark hair that makes him want to run his hands through it over and over. Her beautiful, blue eyes that seem to see through all the lies in this world. He thinks of her kindness and her strength. He stares at Katara in her cage and with every reason that comes to him he jerks harder against his bonds. Her laugh. Her strength. Her eyes. Her kindness. Clang! Clang! Clang! CLANG!

One of the guards in Katara's cage slaps her in the face with his big, meaty hands. Her hair sweeps across her body as her head is jerked to the side with the blow. Zuko's vision is tinged with red as his fury overwhelms him. Despite his gag Zuko releases his largest breath of fire yet disintegrating it. "You're going to regret that!" he shouts in a rage. His guards are hesitant at the intimidating sight of his flaming rage. It gives him the extra moment he needs. With one more surge of strength he manages to break one of the rustier loops in his bonds. He is free and his captors too slow.

"Now it's my turn," he says in a menacing voice.

He fights like a man possessed. With no regard for himself he delivers blow after blow. He picks up a sword and uses it to focus his fire attacks making them precise and deadly. Taking out men and moving toward Katara's cell he feels no pain when he sustains some injuries himself. He is single-minded in his mission; save the woman he loves. As he takes down the last man standing outside the cage he is brought to a sudden stop at the sight within her cell.

One of the two men holds her against him possessively with a knife to her neck. "If you want her to live you'll drop the sword and surrender." Zuko stands, chest heaving trying to make a fast decision. There's no guarantee they won't kill her when they escape but maybe he can buy her time if he surrenders now. He'd just have to escape again, track them down and free her. It's an impossible task but what choice does he have? He throws his sword down angrily.

"Tie yourself up," the man commands throwing him a rope. Gritting his teeth Zuko sits down and begins to tie his ankles together. "Make it tight."

"Sure, sure..." Zuko replies icily. A sudden grunt has him looking back up in a panic. The sight is not what he expected. The man who held Katara is doubled over in pain and Katara now wields a sizable, though not crystal-clear looking, stream of water. She water whips her second captor against the metal bars and he slumps to the ground unconscious. The first man grabs her from behind and her weapon falls into a puddle on the ground.

Zuko immediately burns the ropes off him and jumps up to help. She, however, has frozen the puddle unbeknownst to her attacker and manages to force him forward onto it. He slips and lands on his backside giving her the opportunity she needs. Turning her weapon back to liquid she pulls it back into her grasp. She spins and the water flies through the air in an arc around her then zooms downward toward the man as lethally sharp icicle. Instead of thrusting it through his heart as Zuko would have liked, she stabs hit through his shoulder and pins him to the floor. He cries out in agony.

By the time Zuko stands next to her she has covered her former attacker in a binding layer of ice. He won't be escaping anywhere for a while. The second man stirs but Zuko kicks him in the head and he slumps again.

"Damn you!" the man spits at Katara. Zuko storms forward to hit the man, but Katara stops him with a gentle hand on his chest. "I'd like him conscious," she says. "We need information."

Surprised, Zuko stands there looking dumb. "What?" he asks.

"We have no idea where we are, who these people are, how they found us. We should gather as much information as we can." she replies calmly. She removes her hand and steps toward the man on the ground. Zuko's hand flies out like a flash and grasps her wrist. She looks back at him with dull eyes. He hates the expression in them. Fatigue. Uncertainty. Pain.

Afraid he is the cause of her expression he releases her but asks, "Are you okay?" He notices the cheek that received the slap is swollen and a little discolored. He feels the fury bubbling up again.

"I'm okay," she says. She gives him a tight smile. Not feeling very reassured he steps forward and reaches out to touch her face. She pulls back and he immediately feels like a fool. He's had his revelation of love but he never bothered to think if she reciprocated the affection.

_She doesn't love me_, he thinks. What in the name of Agni made him imagine she could love him back? _Him_? They're just two prisoners of war who now shared a traumatic bond; not a romantic relationship. He's suddenly very self-conscious. He imagines how he must look; bloody and beaten, reeking of Agni knows what, not to mention his repulsive scar. He stands there awkwardly with his shaking hand still outstretched. He quickly pulls it back and rakes it through his hair as he steps away from her.

"Please make sure the other man doesn't wake up," she asks quietly refusing to meet his eyes. Oh Agni she knows and doesn't feel the same way! Torn between hurt and humiliation Zuko retreats to the opposite end of the cell to keep an eye on the unconscious man and nurse his crushed heart. He listen's to Katara speak to her captive.

"What is your name?" she asks almost kindly.

"Like I'm gonna tell you, you little-"

"If you call her anything but miss I swear I'll burn you so you'll never be able say another word." Zuko growls cutting him off before he can finish. The man adopts a stony silence.

"If you don't tell me I'll have to make one up." she says. Zuko looks at her with searching eyes. This is not the method he would have chosen. Is she serious?

When the man doesn't say anything she sighs and shrugs. "I guess the name Asshole suits you." Zuko and the pinned man look at Katara with a surprised expression. They didn't expect her foul mouth.

"So she can talk shit but I can't?" the man demands of Zuko.

"I think even your own mother would have called you that," Zuko replies. "And watch your language Asshole." he commands with a snicker. He glances over to see Katara quickly look away. There's a smile on her face.

"My name is Shogu." The man grumbles in a low voice.

"What was that, Asshole?" Katara asks sweetly.

"My name is Shogu!" he shouts angrily.

"Well it's nice to meet you." she says in the same sweet voice. "So Shogu, can you tell me where we are?" She kneels down near his shoulder and looks him in the eye.

He gives a humourless bark of laughter. "Listen you little bitch I'm not going to tell you anything so just kill me."

Katara stops Zuko's angry approach with a withering stare. She stands and takes a rigid stance. "Oh I'm not the killing type Shogu. I just don't have it in me," she says nonchallontly, "but I don't have any qualms about hurting those who will hurt my friends." She raises her slender arms so they form a long line from fingertip to fingertip, then she closes the gap between them by a few inches. The ice around Shogu's body is constricted in a corresponding distance. Zuko watches in pleasure as the man pales. Being slowly crushed doesn't look very pleasant.

"Where are we?" All the sweetness has left Katara's voice and expression. She is suddenly terrifying. She doesn't even wait for a response before constricting the ice another few inches. Shogu can't hide the fear he's feeling but still doesn't answer. She straddles him and places two fingers on the ice over the spot where she stabbed him earlier. She pushes down and he cries out in pain as the sharp pieces of ice penetrate into his shoulder. "Where. are. we."

"Go to hell!" he shouts. Katara balls her hand into a fist and slams it into his shoulder. Ice and fist create a combination Zuko never hopes to experience as he listens to Shogu cry out in pain. She brings her arm back up ready for another blow when he shouts, "Alright, Alright!" He waits for her to lower her arm before continuing. Zuko is impressed at her ability to break the man. "You're in a secret base of the Kasei Warriors. We're a secret organization of the Fire Nation."

"That's impossible." Zuko interjects. "I would know about it if it was."

"Well Prince Know-it-all," Shogue sneers, "you probably wouldn't because we're not a _royal _organization," he says sneering at the word 'royal.' "We're independent of your high and mighty daddy."

"That monster is NOT my father!" Zuko shoots back and starts stalking toward Shogu.

"Well I guess that makes sense. You are a lot uglier than he is." Shogu answers venemously.

"You stupid asshole!"

"Damned traitor!"

"QUIET!" Katara shouts as she pushes Zuko away from the helpless man. "Zuko calm down!" she commands.

"If you think you're going to live to see tomorrow you're sorely mistaken!" Zuko shouts at Shogu over Katara's shoulder.

"Oh yeah? Who's gonna kill me? You, Princess Zuko?" Shogu seems to know exactly which buttons to push to set Zuko off.

"That's it! you're dead!" Zuko tries to push past Katara but she holds him.

Placing her hands on either side of his face she tries to force him to face her. "Look at me." He tries to jerk his head out of her grasp all too aware that she's touching his scar. "Zuko." He reluctantly looks into her clear cerulean eyes and melts a little inside. "Please let me handle this," she begs. "Go take of care Tweedle Dee. I've got Tweedle Dum." She smiles at him and lets her hands travel into his hair a little bit.

"Fine," he answers gruffly. He doesn't want her to know how much her touch affects him, or how much pleasure it gave him to hear his name in her beautiful voice. He marches over to his still unconscious charge. It's probably about time he set his shoulder...

Katara turns back to her captive and he glares at her. "I heard that," he said. "I told you my name is Shogu."

"Thanks for the reminder, asshole," she says as she kneels next to him again. She smiles when she hears Zuko's chuckle. Focusing back on Shogu she asks, "So if you're not affiliated with the monarchy then are you rebels?"

Shogu rolls his eyes. "No," he says it like she's an idiot. "Obviously we're NOT on your side. We just don't want to operate under the restrictions of missions based only on royal orders. We look out for the interest of the fire nation as we see fit. No politics. No games. No shit."

"Fine. So you're independent. Do you just act as border patrol or something?" Katara asks.

Shogu laughs with real humor now. His laugh is cut off as Katara reminds him who's boss with an inch constricted on his icy suit. "You really are naive," his face is a little red as he now struggles to breath. "We're not some useless border patrol. We help out in useful ways. Economics. Militaries. The works."

"Could you be a little more specific?" she ask irately.

"He means they pirate." Zuko interjects. Katara looks up at him. He's a little pale and is rubbing his shoulder. "They pillage and terrify. Making sure they squeeze every last bronze coin out of small villages not very different from your own, Katara. Then they terrorize the people to make sure they know who's in charge. Those are the only details you want." Zuko looms over Katara and stares down at Shogu with a disgusted look. "I've heard of you but not under the name Kasei Warriors. Locals called you the Red Pirates. Blackwolves. The Dishonor of the West. You guys are scum. You use the fire nation flag as an excuse to do whatever you want. You're not patriots. You're criminals. If Katara didn't want you for information I'd kill you right now. Maybe she'll let me take a turn interrogating you," Zuko says suggestively.

"Only if you're on your best behavior," Shogu snears. "Who'd have thought a little water tribe wench could turn a former prince of the Fire Nation into her bitch."

Katara doesn't have time to stop Zuko's wrath. He punches Shogu hard in the jaw and the man's eyes roll back in his head. "I'm not sorry," he spits.

Katara looks up Zuko with questioning eyes. She's been through a lot in the past few days but she's still innocent. He wouldn't be the one to take that away from her by telling her the details of the Kesai. He remembered his own horrified reaction when the reports began trickling in. Murder. Rape. Houses burned down with people still in them. Stripping peaceful villages of everything. His father thought nothing of it since it was in other nations but Zuko kept thinking of the girl and her mother who had taken in Zuko and his Uncle that night when they were first 'refugees.' They'd fed them and offered them shelter. Then Zuko stole from them with little remorse- at the time. Every time he read the reports of the "Red Pirates" he would see the face of the girl and get sick to his stomach. Now innocent little Katara looked up at him with confusion while this filthy man grinned up at her. Zuko wanted to burn that smirk off his face but Katara was right; they needed information.

Katara doesn't say anything as she splashes ice cold water over Shogu's face. "Enough about the Kasei," Zuko says before she resume control of the interrogation. "Where exactly are we?" he asks as he suggestively lights a fire in one of his palms.

"You're still in the Earth Kingdom. We're about 12 miles south of Omashu." Shogue grumbles reluctantly.

"How do we get out of the base?"

"Well that depends on where you want to go."

"Elaborate, scum."

"Play nice now little prince. There's a tunnel connected to this floor that leads south and out to a frequently used merchants' road, but if you go up three floors though there's the main exit that opens to a nice, out of the way forest. It's easy to get lost in there though so you might want to be careful if you choose that route." Shogu grins wickedly up at Zuko.

"Why the warning?" Zuko demands. "We're not exactly best friends."

"I just don't think anyone deserves to have to deal with the terror of not knowing where you're going." he responds cryptically.

"What is that supposed-"

"I'm sorry you're out of time." Shogu interupts. "See, Lug over there woke up while you weren't paying attention and now he's alerted the entire base. You'd better start running. Ah, but which route will you choose? Tunnel or Forest? Better hurry. I can hear boots clanging down the second level staircase. I only have time to tell you directions to one."

Zuko growls in frustration. Looking at Katara who now stands next to him he makes his decision. "Tunnel."

"Wise decision." Zuko doesn't trust the glee apparent on Shogu's face but they're out of time.

"Turn left out of this room. You 'll pass five doors and come to an inersection with four hallways. Go right. Follow that path down the stairs through the room with water. The tunnel leading to the road will be a few feet after that room. Be as silent as possible and whatever you do stay on he path. Oh, and try to stop the bleeding Sparky. It might excite them." Shogu is enjoying this too much.

"Excite who?" Zuko bends over the man angrily.

"You'd better start running! You'll want to beat the soldiers before they get down to this floor." Shogu is really laughing now. Zuko hits him hard before grabbing Katara by the hand and running out of the room.

The clanging of metal boots is loud as they sprint down the hallway. 1, 2, 3 doors and they pass a stairwell on their right. Glancing up staircase he doesn't see any soldiers yet. Well at least they had one thing going for them. They pass the last two doors and reach the intersection. Without pausing he turns right toting Katara along. A stream of water trails behind her. They run several yards down the dark hallway and reach three short levels of stairs. As he bounds down them Zuko begins to feel the poor condition of his body. His head pounds from dehydration. He's sustained severe bruising maybe even some broken ribs. He's pretty sure there's a good sized gash across his back, plus his aching shoulder to top it all off.

He slows as the sound of falling water approaches. He can faintly make out the opening of the tunnel into a poorly lit room. He pauses at the entrance not letting go of Katara's hand. The room looks like a large tavern. There are small waterfalls falling from random crevices in the wall into pools of water. The water flows in the direction they're heading which he hopes is a good sign. There's got to be something beyond that wall.

"Weird that some fire nation patriots would have an entire room dedicated to water..." Katara whispers in awe.

"Everyone needs water. It must be a convenient source," he answers quietly. Something about it does feel odd though.

The two continue forward trying not to over analyze a few pools of water. As they run Zuko remembers Shogu's warning. He stares at the water and wonders if something looms unseen beneath it's surface. _Try to stop the bleeding Sparky. It might excite them... _He's beginning to seriously wonder if he should have trusted that jerk. He listens to Katara's panting as they run side by side. As long as he can hear that breathing he knows whatever happens it's worth fighting to live.

They're a few feet from the tunnel to freedom when Katara releases her murky liquid and replenishes her weapon with the clear water from the ponds. In response, the water begins to bubble. The two slow down in surprise. As if on cue all of the other ponds begin to bubble and tremble also. The two stop short to stare at the phenomenon. Soon every pool is turbulent with rippling waves.

Suddenly a large monster bursts from the pool Katara disturbed. It's long, lean body looks like gigantic lizard with webbed feet and three rows of spikey ridges along it's muscular back. Part of it's long tail remains submerged in the deceptively shallow lake. The animal is poised to strike. It's head- a cross between a catfish and crocodile- is hung low and it curls back it's lips to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

"Guess that qualified as not staying on the trail," he mutters to Katara.

Zuko looks in one of it's beady eyes sensing it's tension. Three other creatures join the first from their various ponds. They make high pitched chirping noises that sound similar to the bubbling water that preceded their arrival. Zuko can feel Katara slowly slipping her hand out of his so she can assume a bending pose. Their escape remains unobstructed behind them so Zuko takes a very slow step backwards. Unfortunately the blood from his abdominal wound has finally soaked through the side of his thin pants and a few drops fall to the earth as he moves. That's when the animals charge.

Zuko grabs Katara by the hand again and flees to the tunnel. He releases as big of a flame as he can muster behind them just before they enter the dark corridor. He's so fatigued that even the adrenaline isn't producing the miracles it had before. The flame did little to hinder the giant lizards especially once the lead animal whips its tail forward to display its water bending skills. _Shit_! Zuko turns and shoots some flames forward in a fruitless attempt to stop the water, but just before the water hits him it flies upward in a great pillar.

His gaze darts over to Katara. She holds her arms above her as she bends the water to her will. He smiles gratefully at her. Out of no where a lizard's tail sends her flying straight toward the rest of the pack. "Katara!" Zuko shouts and takes off after her. The creatures are lightning fast however, and two block him off. He grimaces and dodges the animal's water attack. Fortunately they aren't able to reproduce the skilled moves of a bender. They can only send a wave of water at him, although that's not a force to underestimate. Rolling into a crouch he lunges forward fists flaming.

Meanwhile, Katara is dealing with two of her own monsters. Being born of water they're lithe and agile. She's having a hard time making connections with her attacks. They just splash useless against the wall. As the two circle closer Katara changes fighting style and decides to adopt a more offensive attack. She dashes forward freezing the water in her hands into two lethal icicles. The nearest animal slashes at her with it's front leg but she leaps and takes advantage of it's forward momentum. She drives the spear hard into its shoulder. It rears with a scream throwing her backwards. She is slammed against the wall and lays there momentarily in a daze. The wounded animal is crazed with pain. It thrashes around and into it's comrade. As they both struggle to right themselves Katara gathers her wits and siphons water from a pond. She water whips the already injured creature with icicle tipped weapon straight through the eye. It rears one last time before falling to the ground dead.

Unaffected the second monster claws over the dead animal and charges Katara. She bends a large wave over her and at the animal. It's washed away from her and into a pond where it doesn't resurface. Considering the problem taken care of she runs to go help Zuko who is struggling to fend off his adversaries. He is backed up against a pond and his fire is causing little damage to the animals' tough hides. Suddenly, just before Katara reaches him, the creature she failed to kill bursts from the pond at Zuko's back and drags him into the pond. The other two jump in after them. "No!" she screams.

Realizing the ponds must be connected underground she dives into the nearest one. She swims down to discover a crossroads of the underground tunnels. Unsure of which turn to take she glances down each tunnel and sees a flash of light down the one straight ahead. Using her water bending she propels herself forward at lightning speed and reaches the conflict just in time. Zuko is caught in the tail of one of the monsters though his limbs are free and he uses them to fight off the two attacking beasts.

Wasting no time Katara freezes large, razor sharp disks and hurls them at the beast charging toward Zuko. The first practically slices of it's tail and the second embeds itself in the animal's side until Katara melts it. Bubbles fly out of it's snout in what is probably a howl of pain and it flees. Katara's eyes flash to Zuko as she sees his body convulse in pain. His arms grab at the tail encircling his waste and she realizes with horror that the creature is crushing him. All of the oxygen is pushed out of his lungs in several large bubbles. Panicked Katara swims to him. The second charging creature switches it's course and heads straight for her. Without hesitating Katara completely freezes the animal with wave of her arms then using her momentum punches in it's skull using the same method she had with her prisoner. The animal sinks in a cloud of blood.

Looking back at Zuko she sees his eyes flickering shut. He has only seconds before reflex kicks in and he's forced to breathe in lungs full of water. She has no time to kill the beast so resorts to slicing off its tail grabbing Zuko by the hand and propelling them both up what she hope is escape to air.

Seconds later they emerge from a pond. Katara gasping for air and Zuko unconscious. Flat against the cold floor Katara gulps in air and drags herself over to Zuko. She puts her hands on his chest and senses the water in his lungs. She bends it out and he coughs and splutters into her lap. He's breathing though. A fact that makes Katara want to cry with relief.

"It's okay. You're alright." she says absently mumbling nonsense to soothe him. He dry heaves onto the pavement while trying to refill his lungs with air. "It's okay..." she murmurs putting her hand his back. Finally he collapses into her lap looking up at her with tired eyes. She can't resist running her hands through his hair. "We're not out of harm's way yet Zuko. We still have to get out of here." He doesn't respond choosing instead to stare up at her. She grows a little embarrassed under his scrutiny.

"It's okay I'll get us out of here." she says. It's her turn to be strong. Using some water she fashions a gurney and rolls Zuko onto it. She can hear the echo of dozens of soldiers' boots coming. She wills herself not to panic. Bending the gurney into a lidless box so he doesn't fall out Katara sends the injured man flying up the tunnel. She hopes it's a straight shot otherwise their will be a painful impact. She turns back to he entrance of the tavern as the soldiers arrive and assumes a bending pose. She has to do this. For Zuko.

Suddenly the two creatures who she didn't kill emerge dripping with blood. They attack the soldiers in a craze, mowing them down like they're nothing more than insects. Katara watches in shock as they claw and maul the men. Not wanting to wait around until there were no more soldiers to feed the creatures' rage she turns and flees to the tunnel erecting a thick blockade of ice behind her. She runs and runs until she sees Zuko's transport. He's sitting up it looking worried.

"What happened?" he asks in a scratchy voice.

"I'll tell you later. Let's just get you out of here." she says kindly. She gets ready to send his transport forward but he objects.

"I can walk," he insists. He weakly climbs out of his ice bed and takes a couple unsteady steps.

"You should lay down," she argues. "You're body's been through a lot." She moves forward to help steady him.

"I'm fine. Besides I'll freeze my ass off if I stay in that thing any longer."

Katara laughs out loud because of the look on his face and just because of the situation. "I guess you'd probably melt it anyway. You're body temperature is pretty high."

"Are you calling me hot?" he taunts her back with a smirk.

Her face flames and he immediately regrets saying it. He had forgotten about what happened earlier when she pulled away from him. "Forget about it. Let's get moving. You can tell me how you got rid of the rest of those monsters and fire nation soldiers instead. Maybe when we tell the rest of the gang what happened you can make me seem like I actually held my own out there..." A nearly hysterical chuckle escapes from him which turns into a wracking cough. He doubles over in pain.

"I'm okay," he whispers hoarsely. He stays on his hands and knees and breathes in and out slowly. "So how did you get out of those ropes back in the cage?"

"What? Oh, I guess that idiot thought he could just hold onto me," she shakes her head at the memory. "He untied me and threw the rope to you when he told you to tie yourself up. Why-?"

"Just keep talking. I need to get my mind off the pain." he groans from the ground.

"Okay. Um...I made Shogu pee his pants right before we left."

He laughs which erupts into more coughing. "Please don't make me laugh any more..." he's laying flat on the ground now but the smile remains on his face. His breathing steadies despite his laughter.

She kneels next to him. "You okay?"

He rolls onto his back and nods. He looks up into her eyes and wonders what she sees when she looks at him. He stares at her intensely, trying to decipher her thoughts. She blushes and looks into her lap. His heart breaks a little when she looks away. She plays with her hands awkwardly. He suddenly has the unbearable yearning to feel those hands touch him the same way he's watched them tenderly care for her companions.

Spontaneously he aks, "Do you think you could maybe heal just some of the superficial stuff?" He motions to his side.

She looks back at his face surprised. "Don't you think we should get further away first?"

"Yeah but I don't know how much farther I can go like this. Maybe just close up some of the larger cuts..." _Wow, I sound like wimp_ he thinks to himself.

She gives him a searching look then sighs. "Take off your shirt," she says quietly.

She waves her arm and some of the ice from his transport melts away and flies to her deft hands. Her hands hover over his chest and torso. The water glows brighter emanates warmth. She closes her eyes in meditation giving him an opportunity to pour over her features. Strange as it sounds he was fascinated by her skin. It's so exotic. All dark and smooth. His eyes drink in the rich color that stretches across the lovely plains of her face and down her elegant neck.

He imagines her bending; the water flowing around her, the sinuous grace of her body, Her dark skin wet with the touch of her element. He's always loved to watch her bend. When her dark arms and legs weave through the air she moves with such grace and at the same time commands an unmistakable strength. Now it's torture to think back on those moments. He realizes how long he's been attracted to her but unwilling to admit it, even to himself.

His fantasy is cut short as he feels a large cut in his side knit together. He grits his teeth against the pain. A minute or two later she opens her eyes to check her work. There are a couple more cuts on his chest but the majority of the injuries along his torso is bruising. Her eyes move to his face and the old insecurities return as he watches her analyze his features. Her expression doesn't betray any disgust at the sight of his scar. In fact, her hands don't hesitate to trace over the ugly feature as she searches for injuries. His lip is split and there's a cut on his cheek and brow from where he'd been hit repeatedly. She applies water to his cut brow and stares intently at her working hands.

"The whole time we were in there I kept waiting for them to come for me," she says breaking the silence. "I'm as good of a source for information as you are. In all honesty I probably seem more likely to break under...pressure." Her words echo around the tunnel. It wasn't phrased like a question but Zuko knows it is one. He chooses not to offer an explanation. It would hint too closely at his feelings for her. "Sometimes they would bring you back into the cages but you were always unconscious. They rarely bothered to chain you up. It scared me- more than I thought it would." Her voice falls to a whisper. "I would sometimes just watch you lying on the ground. Even though there was blood pouring from the cuts on your face and your body spoke of abuse, for whatever reason you looked so peaceful. I guess in middle of everything watching you find some peace, however incomplete, made everything else..." she trails off. They sit in silence. She's finished the cut above his eye and moves her hand down to his cheek.

"Why didn't they come for me?" she asks. He doesn't answer. "I mean, it doesn't make any sense. I'm not as strong as you. It makes sense that they would assume I would be the one to break. Unless something convinced them not to, or someone..." Her hand hesitates above his split lip before she gently touches it. She closes her eyes and asks one more time, "Why didn't they come for me?"

Her eyes fly open wide as she's suddenly overcome by the strangest sensation. Warmth is seeping into her. The sensation spreads through her; into her cheeks, down to her stomach and all the way to her toes. It feels so good her eyes slowly close and she's kissing him back. Her hair slips over her shoulder as she leans into the kiss and creates a barrier between them and the rest of the world. They share a sweet moment hidden from all the heartache they experienced and awaiting them. Their lips whisper together in harmony until he pulls back with a gasp.

Laying back down his hand goes to his injured side. "Sorry. It's still sore," he says. There's a look of utter joy on his face as he stares up at her. It fades a little when he realizes her expression. She hasn't moved and is looking down at him with a surprised expression. Panicking he backpedals, "Katara, I thought you- I don't know what came over me. That wasn't okay. I should have asked or-"

"Zuko."

"No you don't have say anything. I understand. Let's pretend it didn't happen. I already forgot what we were talking about. See I can-"

"Zuko." she says a little louder.

"You're right. That's stupid. The whole thing was just an accident. So our faces bumped together while I was trying to sit up. Big deal? I may have enjoyed it a little but-

He's cut off as she grabs him by the collar, pulls him up and plants her lips on his. She feels him relax beneath her and smiles into the kiss. His hands snake into her hair and they stay like that briefly. The kiss ends but they still sit close together. She's suddenly a little shy and can't meet his gaze.

"We should probably get moving. You're all healed." she says.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to move," he replies.

Her stomach flutters as she responds, "Well believe it or not those soldiers hacking away at the entrance to this tunnel and probably marching to beat us to the exit aren't going to pat us on the back for our fine escape if we run into them."

"You don't say?" he replies with equal sarcasm.

She helps him slowly get back on his feet and they start to head down the tunnel again.

"You know, I almost feel bad for old Shogu. It surprised me the first time I discovered that a little water tribe peasant could fight like a tigerlion." She smiles at the teasing and let's a little of the icy water she's now carrying splash on his head as they walk.

"Woah," he yelps in surprise."Hey, that reminds me. Where did you get the water from back when we were fighting in the cages?"

"I, uh...Well there was a lot perspiring going on when you fought all those guards..."

It takes a moment for him to understand then he says with a wrinkling of his nose, "That's disgusting."

"Well it worked didn't it?" she defends.

"Yeah until you decided to splash around in those ponds. Those things were pissed at you." he laughs again.

"I didn't know!"

He laughs harder at her defiance. Suddenly she jerks away from him and lets him fall to the floor. She smirks down at him.

He's immediately sobered by his pain. "What was that for?"

"You've got an exceptionally thick skull. You'll survive."

He uses the wall for support as he struggles to stand. "I saved your life!"

She storms over to him and growls in his face. "If I recall, I saved yours too."

He grabs her and spins, shoving her up against the wall. Holding her there he says, "Yeah you did. Thanks."

She is surprised by the sudden tenderness in his voice. She looks up into his golden eyes and an attractive blush creeps into her cheeks. "Let me go," she murmers.

He lets her slip away from him. "Let's get out of here so you can really heal me," he says in an attempt to combat the awkwardness. She quietly puts an arm around his waist and pulls one of his arms across her shoulders.

A few yards later she says playfully, "You know, you may have saved our lives and all, but if you pass out I'm not carrying you all the way out of here."

He laughs weakly. "Fair enough, but you do owe me." He's happy there's no more awkwardness.

"I have no doubt we'll eventually be captured again. Next time I'll do all the hard work." she says with a laugh. He smiles to himself. He can think of a few others way for her to repay him. They continue in easy conversation as they both limp down the tunnel and toward freedom. A few yards later Zuko stumbles and passes out.

"Damn it Zuko! I told you I wouldn't carry you!"

* * *

**I couldn't resist that last bit of humor :) **

**Author's Note: I was reading through this and some of the grammar and syntax really bugged me so I've gone back and edited it once more. I still think a lot of the tunnel scene Zutara action seems pretty forced but it would be ridiculous to go back and delete it now. *sigh* oh well that's the last time I let my love of fluff get the better of me. **

**Okay folks so here's the deal. The muses gave me a sudden burst of creative juices last night as I was reading through some unfinished blurbs. I've decided I can't completely put this plot away but also that I don't want to turn this into a full fledged story because it's too similar to other stories I've read. This is just going to be some one-shots within the same plot. I have at least two more definite scenes planned in addition to this one but no promises beyond that. Please don't hate me for being so lame but I think the plot is always fun to fantasize about but overused. I would hate to further wear it out with my mediocre attempts.**

**love,  
M-useless100  
**


	2. Conversations

He really should have more perspective. They're in a village where any number of people could recognize them and turn them in, but his aching body provides a solid argument to stay for just one day. It had been nothing but nights spent on the frozen ground or in treetops completely exposed to the elements during the time he and Katara had spent trying to track down the gang after their escape from the Kesai base. Pulling off his grimy clothes and boots Zuko strips down to his worn pants. Katara had gone into the dingy bathroom to wash up. Just five minutes on the bed and then he'd relinquish it to her he insists as he sinks into the warm embrace of the small bed, which if he'd had more perspective would seem unfitting for someone his size. Luckily he just didn't have any perspective.

Zuko woke up feeling warm- albeit a little uncomfortable. He finally notices the beds small size as his back aches steadily from being bent for so long. He exhales happily as he stretches his limbs without restraint enjoying the relief of popping joints and taught muscles. Letting his body splay across and over the edges of the bed he's startled when his left hand brushes against something warm on the floor. He glances down to discover Katara sleeping in a ball with a thin blanket slipping off her small form.

He's extremely bothered as he always is when Katara's actions speak loudly of her disbelief in his chivalry. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, careful not to bump her still form, and stands glaring down at her. She could be so stubborn. She should have woken him or at least climbed in with him. Propriety be damned! She deserved the comfortable bed and he would have gladly shared or forfeited it to her. Instead she chose to sleep on the cold, unrelenting ground despite his pleas. She had cited that his so-called chivalry was nothing more than an excuse for chauvinism. He'd show her chauvinism. He hoists her up off the ground- blanket and all. Embarrassment suddenly threatens to envelope him as he recognizes the sensation of flesh on flesh. She must have slipped out of her own grimy clothes after he fell asleep. Pleasure outweighs any awkwardness, however, as he cradles her against him.

An unbidden fantasy takes hold of his mind. _They're in the Fire Nation palace. He holds her in his arms as they enter the Fire Lord's chambers- his chambers. She looks up at him. A light blush colors her cheeks but her eyes are filled with a desire that matches his own. She is his Fire Lady. She's his... _

He gently sets her down onto the bed and she sighs happily in her sleep. _Maybe someday..._he thinks to himself. Currently their relationship is pretty much the same as it had been since he kissed her back in that tunnel four days ago. They hadn't had any substantial conversation since then. They spent most of their time hacking away through forests, silently raiding villages to scavenge food or hiding in treetops from pursuit, be it human or animal. When they weren't performing exhaustive labor they were passed out in sleep, interacting only to let the other know their turn on watch was over. He didn't like it. His life was already complicated enough. He couldn't afford to add anyone else's chaos to it. When Katara woke up they were going to have a talk. Until then he grabbed his own clothes and the outer garments she'd stripped off and headed downstairs to wash them. The town was rebel based so there were plenty of people scarred by trained fire benders. He could pretty much count on anonymity, something he never took for granted...

Katara woke up feeling warm and comfortable. Opening her eyes she realized Zuko must have moved her onto the bed while she slept. _I must have really been out of it..._she wonders. Sitting up she lets the blankets fall off of her as she stretches and rubs the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze sweeps around the small room, and she notices clothes hanging in various and creative places- the end of the bed, edges of open drawers. Assuming they're wet from being washed she quietly gets up to check their drying progress. She glances over at Zuko who sits dozing in a chair in the opposite corner near the door. His arms are folded across his bare chest and his legs jut out almost to the other side of the door so he'll be alerted if anyone tries to come in. She runs her hands over the drying clothes and blushes as her hands graze her own blue outer garments. The blush deepens when she imagines Zuko, bare-chested, hoisting her up and putting her in bed with nothing on but her underwear and a thin blanket between them. She hastily puts on her clothes and banishes the humiliating thought. Glancing out the small window cut out of the earthy wall next to the bed she surmises from the position of the sun that it's sometime in the late afternoon. Bending the dampness out of the rest of the drying clothes she splashes the lukewarm water over Zuko's head. He jerks awake.

"What the hell?" he splutters.

"We should probably get moving," she replies as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. She hides her smirk as she turns to pick up the shirt nearest her starts folding it. His hand unexpectedly grabs the clothing out her grasp.

"I can handle carrying a couple of shirts, Zuko." she says indignantly. Honestly, if he kept playing the chivalry card like this she was really going to have to put her foot down.

"Of course you can. I just want to talk" he says with a calculated calm.

"Whatever it is, can't it wait until we're a few miles out of town? I don't care if this village is independent of the Fire Nation. Most people don't know you've gone AWOL so if someone recognizes you we're toast." She's finishes folding the couple of spare clothes they'd acquired along the way then thrusts his own shirt at him. "Here take this and put on your boots." She sticks her head out the window and looks down. "You were right. The second floor was the perfect choice. We can hear someone's approach up the stairs but it's not too far to jump." She's got one leg out the window before Zuko roughly yanks her back into the room causing her to all but fall on top of him.

"Would you listen to me for a minute?" he demands.

"Spirits Zuko you don't have to dislocate my shoulder to get my attention," she says with a slight wince.

"Could have fooled me," he mumbles. "Listen we're safe for now. I just want to talk about what happened. In the tunnel," he clarifies.

"Oh," she replies.

"Yeah," he panics when he realizes he has no idea what to say next. Mentally he scolds himself, _ I'm no good at this relationship crap. I should have known better than to expect this would go smoothly... _"I just want you to know that I- that it- that we're," he makes large awkward motions between the two of them. Exhaling in frustration he runs a hand through his hair and says, "Look. I just wanna say that I meant it. I wasn't just delirious or afraid we were gonna die. I-I care about you, Katara," he finishes twisting his shirt awkwardly and refusing to meet her gaze.

Silence greets his ears. His now sweaty palms grip his shirt tighter as he becomes more and more self-conscious with each passing second. A cool breeze comes in through the window. It combs through his hair and caresses his flushed cheeks. Suddenly a very real hand brushes his face. The cool touch gently pushes his head up and he wants to close his eyes against her. Instead he forces himself look her in the eye.

She's smiling up at him with warm acceptance. "I care about you too, Zuko," she says. Her hand slides down to rest gingerly against his chest. She drops her gaze and stares at her dark hand against his lightly tanned chest and marvels at the difference in color. "But if I thought my feelings about Aang were confusing I never could have anticipated my feelings for you." She looks back up at him to gauge his reaction. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy our kiss, that I'm not attracted to you or that just being around you doesn't make my mind fuzzy and my stomach flutter, but we're in the middle of a century long war. You're Fire Nation. I'm Water Tribe. We're naturally opposites. Could this even work? What about Aang? How would this make him feel? Do I even have any room in my life right now to try and make this work? Between keeping our little group fed, clean and happy, training the avatar, evading Azula, defeating a crazy, power hungry Fire Lord, and everything else that seems to come up I just don't know if I can- I mean- can we...? I just don't know. I don't know!" By the time she's finished she is leaning against Zuko for support, her forehead resting against his chest. He wraps his arms around her and just holds her while she tries to compose herself.

"Can I say something?" he asks. She silently nods. "I get it. I do. Everything you're feeling makes sense. I guess it wasn't fair of me to expect- well, I don't know what I expected but I get it. I just wanna say one thing and then we'll let it go and get out of here."

"'kay" is her muffled response. It's his turn to bring her face up to his. There are some tears shining in her eyes.

Brushing aside some stray tendrils of hair he says, "You can't plan these things. You don't always get to choose. The heart wants what it wants and fighting it can only add to your misery." She closes her eyes as emotions threaten to spill over. He waits for her to open them again. "Hey," he says tenderly, "It's me. We saw each other through the worst back there. You don't have to be so tough in front of me. You can let go now. I'm here for you. Always." He watches as her chin trembles with the effort of holding onto her last shred of composure. Traitorous tears stream from her closed eyes and down her cheeks.

"C'mon, Katara. Let it out." She shakes her head vigorously against his invitation. A small hiccup of a sob escapes. He puts his arms back around her and strokes her hair. "Fine," he can feel her trembling in his arms, "then let's get out of here before the innkeeper comes asking for payment." He drops a kiss on the crown of her head and steps back to put on his shirt. She turns away from him and wraps her arms around herself, feigning interest in the direction opposite from him. He lets her have her moment while he slowly gathers up their meager belongings.

"I hate that we have to do this," her voice is slightly hoarse as she finally says something. She turns to him with a determined expression as he swings his right leg out the window. "Promise me we'll come back eventually and pay the man our debt?" He looks into her blue eyes and knows he can't deny her anything.

"I promise." Then he swings his other leg out and falls down the side of the shabby little inn. To prevent injury he rolls with his momentum as hits the ground dispersing the impact. He stands back up in time to see Katara isn't going to wait for him to catch her. She follows his example and rolls when she hits the ground. Her lack of experience sends her sprawling and Zuko has to jump out of the way to avoid injury to both of them. He rushes to where she's ended up on her back.

"We should commit crime more often. That was fun!" she says breathlessly.

"Agni, Katara! You couldn't have waited?" he exclaims in frustration as he bends over her. He gives her a once over to make sure she's okay.

"For what?" she asks genuinely confused.

"For me to catch you!" He has to stop himself from calling her all kinds of stupid.

"Pfft!" she scoffs, "Obviously I can take care of myself." She stands and tries to disguise her winces as chills of excitement.

"Obviously," he says with a raised eyebrow. "It's a wonder you haven't gotten yourself killed before now."

"I'm a master bender Prince Know-It-All. Even _you _couldn't kill me." she says haughtily.

"Oh now you're annoyed? Any time I try to do anything nice for you, you shove it back in my face as insult to your strength! Well I've got news Miss Prissy Bender," he says shoving his reddening face into hers, "I'm bigger and stronger and can take you." With that he brushes the dirt off his shirt then turns and walks away. A sudden ball of water hits him in the back of his head. He whirls around.

"Why don't you put your honor where your mouth is?" she taunts and assumes a bending position. She removes the water from the plants and grass surrounding her then sends a couple of whips at his feet. He has to do a sort of jumping dance to avoid them.

"Katara," he says furiously, "this is not the place."

She responds by forcing him to dance again. When he jumps and rolls and away from her whips she bends a layer of ice onto the ground where he lands so he hurtles painfully into the inn's wall. Then she laughs as she watches him struggle to stand on her slippery element. "You can take me, huh? I beg to differ."

He literally growls as he angrily melts the ice with his palms. Then he sends a couple of fireballs her way knowing she'll block them. He runs full force at her while she's distracted with her defense. He doesn't slow down as he slams into her and sends them both flying with his momentum. Spinning in the air so he absorbs the brunt of the impact they land on the packed earth of the street. She struggles angrily against him but he rolls and pins her.

"Let me go!" she shouts.

"Shh! Do you want people getting the wrong idea?" He barks glancing nervously back at the inn. She's still jerking against his grasp. "Katara get a hold of yourself," he commands forcefully.

"You're hurting me!" He let's go immediately and she knees him in the stomach not entirely on accident. He doubles over as she slips out from under him. He groans slightly and drops to his forearms. She stomps several yards away from him before stopping to wipe the dirt from her clothes and hair and nurse a couple scrapes. Zuko stays where he is as he catches his breath. His stomach doesn't really hurt. He'd sustained much worse injuries. It was her words that had cut him. They echo in his mind. _You're hurting me! _The words had scared him so badly he had let go of her without a second thought. If there was anything he never wanted to hear her say to him those words were it. He almost wish she had completely rejected him earlier so he could know for sure that nothing hurt worse than the fear of hurting her.

He hears her approach from behind. He can tell by her footfalls it's not aggressive, but he tenses anyway. She sits next to him but turns her body to face the opposite direction he is. Drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them she asks quietly, "Is this what it's going to be like?"

Shocked at her ability to switch emotions so quickly his head snaps over to look at her. He opens to mouth to offer assurances but nothing comes out. Despite their proximity there is suddenly a yawning distance between them. Zuko is desperate to return to the semblance of unity they'd experienced this morning, but Katara stands and starts to walk away before he can come up with anything to say.

"Katara wait-" he starts. She turns to look at him still sitting on the ground, half turned and reaching toward her. "I-"

"It's okay," she cuts him off. "We're okay."

_It doesn't feel like it, _Zuko thinks as he gets up to follow her out of the village. The two teens walk side by side in the broken afternoon sunlight filtering through the treetops of the old forrest, both lost in their own emotional turmoil. _Maybe I should give her some time, _he considers. After all, it's not like they wouldn't find time to talk. They'd been searching for days with no signs of the rest of the gang. He would bet the shirt off his back that they will have several more days alone.

* * *

**A/N wow so I totally forgot to add authors notes to this with the initial publishing. Basically my thoughts are that this is a pretty gentle side of Zuko. He's the one taking the reins on communication, which I think is pretty big of him. Sure he tackled Katara but she was being unreasonable. **

**Katara's reaction to Zuko's feelings seem realistic to me. From what i've seen men tend to let themselves fall in love a lot easier than women. I mean if she's spent seasons feeling conflicted about Aang don't you think it would be even more confusing to have feelings for Zuko? Plus they're both such passionate people that fights are inevitable. Their relationship would be back and forth but I have a hunch that each conflict would help them both mature and become closer- if they can forgive...**


	3. Into the Woods

She starts at the unexpected tap on her shoulder and reacts without thinking. Flinging herself away from whoever has snuck up behind her she slides off the uneven surface of her seat atop a boulder and spins to face the unknown. However, her numb legs aren't able to support her weight and she wobbles around like a toddler before falling on her backside. Laughter erupts in front of her.

"Who-" she begins to demand the identity of the tall figure looming above her when a sudden light appears. "Zuko!" she exclaims breathlessly. "Don't scare me like that!"

"I thought you would have heard me," he says as he moves the flame in his hand away from his face.

She puts a shaky hand over her fluttering heart. If she had felt tired before the adrenaline coursing through her veins now has her on full alert now. She looks up at the man towering over her who wears an amused expression. "I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that before," she marvels.

His tight-lipped smile immediately disappears once she draws attention to it. "I mean I've heard you're 'I'm-so-much-better-than-you' laugh or your 'I'm-gonna-burn-everything-in-sight' laugh. I've even heard your crazy "I'm-going-to-"

"Alright you've made your point," Zuko cuts her off." I'm a heartless jerk who doesn't know how to laugh. Thanks for that. Now go get some rest so you'll have enough energy to insult me tomorrow." He shoves his hands in his pockets and turns to walk away. Katara jumps up, somewhat unsteadily, and stops him.

"That's not what I meant," she says guiltily. "I was just surprised and that was a bad joke. I like hearing you laugh is all."

Zuko is surprised by her admission. "Uh, right." He rubs his neck awkwardly. "Anyway, I'll take over watch. You can sleep if you want."

"I couldn't possibly sleep now. I'll sit out here with you for a few minutes if you don't mind the company. I just need to calm down a little," she replies as a nervous giggle escapes between sentences. She sinks to the ground and begins to rub her legs to help return feeling to them. Zuko sits down on the rock she had just fallen off of and assumes an alert pose. Katara's cheeks burn a little as she imagines how foolish she must have looked, not to mention what a terrible look out she must seem like. She stares up at his rigid form and wonders what he's experienced to turn him into such a solemn person.

"Tell me a story," she says spontaneously.

"What?" he asks as he stares down at her with surprise.

"Uh-tell me a story from your childhood," she qualifies with embarrassment as she realizes how childish she sounds.

"That's not a bedtime story, Katara." he says darkly.

"Oh come on. It can't have been that bad."

"Yes it could have and it was," he replies refusing to reveal anything.

"You're saying there wasn't a single happy moment during your childhood?"

"No. I'm saying I don't want to talk about it," he says emphatically and puts an end to the topic. He seems to regret his harsh tone as Katara's expression falls. He exhales loudly and runs a hand through his hair before turning to her with a frustrated expression. "Look there isn't much to tell, okay? Most of my childhood was spent during carefully scheduled days; intensive training, aloof tutors, competing with Azula for Ozai's affection, failing to satisfy his expectations... The usual family dynamics." His sarcasm is tinged with bitterness.

"Well that made me feel warm and fuzzy," Katara replies in an attempt to lighten his dark mood. "No happy memories at all?" she urges in a more gentle tone.

Zuko shrugs his shoulders. "It's hard to remember any after everything else," he says noncommittally. With that the two fall back into silence. Katara mentally slaps herself. She'd never been able to completely put aside her curiosity about his past but had heard enough to know it wasn't, as he'd called it 'a bedtime story.' He grew up without a mother, he'd been branded and exiled when he was young by his horrible father which is when he began to travel with Iroh. She also knew that he carried a lot of guilt about his choices in the past, especially what happened back in the caves at Ba Sing Se. Despite the indicators of a horrible childhood she was wildly curious about his daily activities. It was hard to believe that it was all as horrible as it seems.

"What about your mother?" she asks quietly. Zuko's already tense form seems to turn to stone at the mention of his mother. She doesn't know the specifics of what happened to her but it seems as good a place as any to attempt to get him to open up. Katara looks up at him as the silence stretches on. She wonders if he's even breathing.

"What about her?" he finally asks in a low, monotone voice.

Katara resists the urge to succumb to the discouraging chill that has settled over the two of them. Instead she adopts a different approach. Taking a deep breath she offers one of her own stories. "After my mother died it was impossible for me to think about her without getting so sad and angry and confused that I felt like crying and never stopping. When it became unbearable I would try to think of just one happy memory I had with her. At first it seemed impossible because the memory of her death overshadowed everything else.

I remember one particularly bad night. I hadn't been able to sleep and couldn't stand to be in our home where my mother's absence seemed so profoundly acute. So I ran. I ran and ran until my legs gave out and my lungs burned with frozen air and then I just laid there panting in the snow. I knew that if I didn't get up then there was the possibility of me slipping off to sleep and never waking up. I remember I laid there for a long time debating whether or not it was worth getting up. Finally I decided to let fate have me. I'd wait for a sign. The village was bound to search for me and if they found me then it meant I should live. If not, well then I could accept that too. So I closed my eyes and waited. That was when I got the sign I wasn't expecting. I remembered her voice. I remembered what it sounded like to have her call my name. I remembered running home to a warm tent and hearing her call my name in a happy greeting. I remembered how she would stop whatever she was doing and pull me into her lap rubbing my cold fingers until they were warm again. Then we'd finish the work left unfinished, laughing and singing the whole time. My mother's voice echoed in my mind and seemed to call me back to life. Hearing her voice gave me the strength to open my eyes. And that was all I needed because that was when I saw the sunrise.

It's rare for me to be up early enough to watch the sun rise and I haven't seen many since that morning, but I don't think there's ever been a more beautiful sunrise since then. To the east of our tribe lies an icy mountain range that the sun has battle every day for dominion of the sky. I remember watching the sun slowly rise and grow until it emerged triumphantly from behind those icy peaks. With it's victory it set the world to sparkling. Each snow flake and icicle glowed and magnified the rays of light shining down. It was like I was laying in a sea of light and before I knew it I was dancing and laughing in the snow. I realized without my mother I would never have seen this beautiful miracle. I finally understood that even though my mother died I didn't have to. And suddenly- miraculously- I had a new memory with her. After that day, even though her death still caused me to feel hurt and angry, it no longer dominated my memory of her. Instead I remembered how she lived and that has given me strength every day.

Katara fiddles with the hem of her wrap as finishes her story. When Zuko doesn't offer any comment she quietly adds, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you only ever dwell on the bad things that happen then you'll never be able to forgive. Not them and especially not yourself." She hears Zuko's breath catch and sends up a silent prayer.

Zuko clenches his jaw as he tries to find control amidst his hurricane of emotions. Who does she think she is lecturing him on forgiveness? He flips back and forth from fury at Katara for having the audacity to lecture him to an all consuming ache that spreads form his chest down to his toes and out to his fingertips. He stares down into the blue eyes of the beautiful young woman at his feet and the ache only grows.

"Zuko?" He watches her small hand reach out to him.

He remembers another hand from a long time ago that reached out to him the same way. A soft, delicate hand that had once held him fast. As the memory washes over him something inside of him snaps.

He jerks away from her touch. "Why are you pushing this?" he demands angrily. "What do you want from me?"

"Wha-? Nothing! I just want you to be happy!" she stands up to match his anger with her own indignation.

Zuko's mind reels as again he remembers another saying the same words to him. "Stop it!" he shouts bringing his hands up to his head.

"Zuko what's wrong?" Katara asks with real concern. She rushes over to him and tugs his hands away from his face. Hate filled golden eyes reveal themselves. For the first time in a long time fear settles in Katara's heart as she looks at the former Fire Nation prince.

For a long moment he stares down at her with a conflicted expression. Finally, he says through gritted teeth "If you want to make me happy then leave me alone." She drops his hands in surprise as they become scalding hot. Staring down at her hands in shock she looks up only in time to catch a glimpse of his fading form as he walks into the depths of the forest without looking back.

Hurt and feeling abandoned Katara flees back to the empty campsite. Picking up her blanket she scoots close to the warmth of the small fire as hot tears stream down her cheeks. She grieves for the stubborn man who is blinded by his unwillingness to forgive and is angry at him for constantly ruining her hard earned serenity. She sends a fistful of dirt into the fire in a fruitless attempt to extinguish it. It splutters and crackles but refuses to obey her will. Frustrated, she lays down and turns her back on the stubborn flame hoping it will burn itself out.

* * *

"Forgiveness..." He scoffs at Katara's naivety.

Forgiveness? Was she really implying that he forgive his father? Forgive Azula? Just let it all go? He sends an angry flame off into the distance as he continues stomping through the forest. It illuminates the area around him until it burns out having found nothing to feed it's hungry flame.

"Agni!" he shouts in a fit. "Why is this making me so angry?"

_Because it's true._

"What?" he says in breathless surprise. _Doesn't everyone deserve forgiveness? A second chance. _Shut. up. he commands the unwelcome voice in his mind. Zuko stubbornly remains in his dark mood as he walks through the dark forest. Lost in thought he doesn't notice the sound of trickling water until his right foot slips on the muddy bank. Unable to right himself because of the slick surface beneath him he tumbles down onto the bank of the slow moving river. Chuckling without humor he lets his head fall back into the mud. Laying on his back he stares up at the stars peeking around the edges of the treetops. His mind wanders to his past. A long forgotten memory washes over him.

_"Zu-zu!" Four-year-old Azula's happy voice echoes across the courtyard as she runs out to meet her big brother. "Read this book to me."_

_"Please," Ursa prompts her young daughter from where she sits beneath a Fire Poplar Tree with the young prince. _

_"Pleeease," Azula says with exaggerated sincerity. She holds the book up to Zuko. He looks up to his mother for direction. _

_"It's up to you, Zuko." she says with a smile._

_"Please, please, please," Azula bounces up and down as she pleads and pleads. Zuko finally shouts a grumpy agreement. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" she chimes as she dances off into the sunshine. "Come out here and read it. I don't want to sit in the shade."_

_Zuko slides down off his mother's lap and rolls his eyes."Zuko," Ursa calls as he runs off. He turns back to his mother. "I'm proud of you for being such good brother to Azula." Zuko's young face erupts into a smile at his mother's praise. He runs back and flings his arms around her in a tight embrace."Always remember, Zuko, that family is the most precious treasure you will ever have," she quietly says. She playfully tickles her son with a delicate hand before releasing him.  
_

_"I love you mommy," he says.  
_

_"I love you too, darling. Now go play."  
_

_"Zu-Zu!" Azula whines impatiently. She folds her arms and taps her small foot. The book lays half opened at her feet- temporarily forgotten while she shouts for attention.  
_

_"I'm coming Azula!" He runs off into the sunshine to take care of his little sister while his mother looks on happily._

Zuko takes a deep, shaky breath as the memory fades again. A single tear escapes from his good eye before he can put his emotions in check. After a moment he sits up from the sticky mud with some difficulty and walks out to the edge of the water. Staring down at his blurry reflection Katara's words float up to the surface of his mind. _If you only ever dwell on the bad things that happen then you'll never be able to forgive. Not them and especially not yourself... _

Zuko's head falls down against his chest in defeat. "Fine. I'll do it your way," he acquiesces. He turns to head back toward the direction of camp but seems to think better of it as the a particularly slimy chunk of mud slides down his back. Shivering in disgust he attempts to scrub some of slimy substance off but only manages to spread it around.

He squints up at the moon and shouts in mock frustration, "You can't make any of it easy for me can you?" Then he begins to strip down. "I'll start by cleaning up this mess then tackle the one back at camp." He throws his dirty clothes out into the river then quickly follows them with a loud splash, sighing happily as he sinks into the cool embrace of the river.

* * *

**So this is the first part of a two part (maybe three) classic Zutara interaction. Love-hate. Hate-love. Right now it's hate in case you couldn't tell. Bet you can't guess what's coming next chapter ;)**

**This was a bit of return to a colder Zuko. Not quite as gentle as he's been in past chapters but definitely sexier. I don't know about you but I love angry male characters. Katara's always right though so of course he wised up.  
**

**Thanks for all your reviews and love! It makes me giddy every time I receive that email alert. You guys always have such interesting and insightful comments.  
**


	4. Captured!

**Annnnnd I'm back! A combination of writer's block and fall semester starting up kept me from updating, but that's life for ya. Here's a nice long entry for you hungry Zutarans. I'm excited about where this is going. The next few chapters are outlined so you should be hearing from me again soon**!

I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER but if I did...

* * *

Zuko shivers as water trickled down his neck. Letting the droplets slide down his skin he tries to focus on anything except his conflicting emotions. He draws on his meditation techniques focusing only on his measured breathing as he thinks back to the fight.

"_Why are you pushing this? What do you want from me?"_

"_I just want to you to be happy!"_

"_If you want to make me happy then leave me alone!"_

Zuko resists the urge to slap his forehead. If ever there was a need for his Uncle's wisdom, now was the time. He had no idea how to relate to women. Blowing his long hair out of his face in frustration he shifts the heavy stack of firewood in his arms.

_"I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you only ever dwell on the bad things that happen then you'll never be able to forgive. Not them and especially not yourself."_

She may be stubborn, unreasonable, and rash but she was right about him. He had to make things right starting with the girl he'd abandoned earlier that night. Arriving at the edge of their small campsite, Zuko takes a quick breath before stepping into the light of the dying fire. The firewood he'd collected clatters in his arms as he attempts to make enough noise to avoid startling Katara. Tossing a log into the embers he lights it with a flick of his wrist.

A sudden rustle erupts in the nearby darkness. Reacting to the noise, Zuko swiftly assumes a bending pose while his golden eyes search the darkness around them. Muscles tense, he waits for any sign of danger. After a few minutes of silence he's satisfied that there's no immediate threat. Releasing his rigid fire bending pose Zuko doesn't feel any more relaxed as he turns to face Katara. Though her back is to him, he can see her limbs flails out in her sleep. Emotions stir up in him as he watches her still form and he tries reign them in.

Rubbing his neck uncertainly, he reaches a hand out and gently brushes away the dark hair covering her face. As Katara's smooth features emerges from behind her wall of tresses Zuko's body turns cold as fear grips him. Katara is gagged and unconscious. Blood trickles down her temple. He quickly rips the blanket off her small form only to discover her arms and legs are bound.

"Katara!" he shouts, but he's too slow to save them from the threat that is obviously nearby. There's a short whistling in the air and stab of pain appears between Zuko's shoulder blades. He flinches and bats at it without thinking, but the small dart is carefully placed so its prey can't remove it. He whips around to face whoever dares attack them but the poison is fast acting. His head pounds painfully as each heart beat circulates the serum throughout his body. Swaying on his feet Zuko attempts to focus his vision only to fall to a knee.

"No…" he says with equal parts anger and dread. They could _not_ get captured again. Nausea overwhelms him as he attempts to stand. Falling to his hands and knees he swallows back the urge to vomit and crawls toward Katara- no small feat since his limbs are quickly turning to liquid. Rallying all his strength he reaches Katara. Pulling her into his lap he tries to stand.

He sees the dart coming this time. As it flies toward the both of them he knows there is nothing he can do to stop it. So with his heart racing in exhaustion and head pounding with delirium he lets himself fall on top of Katara in a final attempt to protect her. He doesn't flinch as the needle embeds itself deep in his right shoulder.

The last thing he remembers as his vision fails him is his head banging onto the rough ground and Katara's hair tickling his cheek.

_I can't do this again…_

* * *

Katara woke to a headache. Crying herself to sleep always did that to her. Remembering the reason for her tears she curses Zuko. It was all _his _fault! She sighs as the memory of the night before come floating back to her. What she hates more than their fight, however, is that she can't seem to summon the biting anger she used to harbor whenever they fought.

_Probably because I love that stupid jerk…_

Freezing at the direction of her thoughts, Katara opens her eyes in shock. What had she just said? Attempting to track down that errant thought she quickly sits up, her hand banging against the wall as the tosses aside her blankets. Looking over in surprise her brain finally begins to notice important facts she'd ignored up until now.

_ A…wall?_

Weren't they in the forest? She gasps loudly as she hops out of her bed. Backing away from it like it's an angry tigerbear she tries to remember how she got there. The memory of last night comes flooding back to her. Zuko's disappearance. Then he'd returned, but the tall figure wasn't him. It was someone else and- oh yeah. They'd knocked her out.

Katara reaches up to her temple where they'd hit her. She's surprised to find a bandage there but winces as the light touch sends a shooting pain into her skull. Her gaze takes in the room but doesn't waste time appreciating the quaint taste of the décor. She grabs her boots which had been left by her bed and presses her ear to the closed door. Trying the doorknob she's again surprised when it twists and the door pops open.

Gripping her boots tightly Katara tiptoes down the hallway making only the lightest of sounds as her feet tread across the wood floor. She almost drops her boots when she hears voices coming from a room on her right.

"Probably won't be up for a while," a deep voice says with pleasure.

"Well it's no wonder. You used _two_ darts! Foolish men! How many times do I have to tell you…"

The voices fade as Katara passes the door undetected. She notices another bedroom on her left before she finally reaches a short intersecting hallway. Glancing down it she sees a kitchen and a backdoor! Katara rejoices at the discovery of an escape but hesitates before sneaking down the hallway.

_It's too easy, _she thinks. _The base doesn't even seem like a real base. It doesn't have the logistical military flare the other Kesai base had. It's more of a cottage than anything else. And there were no guards. No one was even outside my room even though I was left untied. _Biting her lip in frustration Katara wants nothing more than to get out of this place. _It must be a pit stop, not their destination. That's why they haven't picked up more guards and that's why it seems like a uncharacteristically cozy base._

Satisfied with her explanation Katara quickly steps down the hallway, but just as quickly panics when a door opens behind her. Voices float toward her as she sprints down the hallway and looks around her for a hiding place. Discovering a closet in the kitchen she throws open the door and crams herself behind the sparse rack of coats. She closes the door just as footsteps enter the kitchen.

Katara curses herself for not finding any water before trapping herself in this terrible hiding spot. If Zuko were here he'd have come up with a much better plan. Zuko! How could she have forgotten about him? Was he captured too or had his temper been his salvation? Resisting the urge to growl in frustration Katara rolls her eyes. Now she had no weapon and no idea where Zuko was. Both had to wait, though, because the men in the kitchen seem to be getting comfortable. Slowly and quietly she inches forward to press her ear against the closet door.

"I'm _so_ hungry," a distinctly male voice says.

"Yeah I wish Granny would get over it already and make some dinner," the deep voice from earlier complains.

"You are such idiots," a female voice snaps. "You deserve everything that comes to you."

"Aw c'mon Akira. You know they seemed suspicious."

"No. I don't. What I do know is that they're gonna be pissed when they wake up."

"Yeah waking up in a warm bed when you were sleeping in the dirt definitely makes a person mad."

Katara grows more and more confused as the conversation continues. Who are these people? They certainly don't have the finesse she remembered the Kesai having.

Two loud slaps echo through the door Katara's ear is pressed against. She flinches at the unexpected sound bumping a broom behind her sending it sliding noisily down the wall. _Oh no!_ Her mind screams as she freezes in terror

"What was-" the deep voice cuts off.

"Fine I'll make you idiots some dinner," the female voice says sounding a little strained. Katara can hear some shuffling on the other side of the door but doesn't trust that her own rustling went unnoticed. Careful to avoid making more noise she searches the small space for a weapon to use. Too late though. The door swings open and a woman stands there pointing a sword at her. Just as quickly though her sword falls when she recognizes the girl in the closet.

"You're-" but her surprise is cut short as Katara flies at her sending them both to the floor. Landing awkwardly on top of the woman Katara desperately searches for any kind of water source as she struggles to hold the woman down. The sink across the room explodes as Katara summons the water knocking down one of the men barreling toward her.

"Hey!" he shouts as he tumbles to the floor. Katara quickly creates a shield before her as a second, larger man points a sword at her.

"No!" the woman shouts as he raises his weapon to deliver a blow. He ignores the command but Katara sends him reeling backwards with a light water whip before he can strike her.

"Why you-" the large man exclaims as he pulls himself free of the small shelf he crashed into.

"Stop it!"

Suddenly Katara feels the sharp point of a dart against her neck. Apparently, a fourth enemy had snuck up behind her through the very hallway she'd used to escape. Cursing herself for not paying better attention, Katara is left with no options. She lets her water splash to the ground and raises her arms in defeat.

"Now I don't want to use this but I will," a withered voice says firmly. "Please calm down and let us explain."

"Where is Zuko?" Katara demands as she her three attackers close in.

* * *

Opening his eyes Zuko squints against the sunlight streaming through the crack between the curtains. Confusion settles over him as the unfamiliar sight greets him but the feeling is pushed aside as his head pounds and his stomach rolls. He closes his eyes against the pain and focuses on not vomiting. When his stomach settles he sighs in relief only to wince when pain flashes across his side. Groaning loudly now, he wonders what he's gotten himself into. He peers down at his body as he slowly kicks the warm covers off his torso. This one wasn't so bad. Purple and yellow bruising is splashed across his right side with a particularly nasty bruise just below his ribcage. Overall, he decides it's not that bad.

It's not until he reaches down to massage his injured side that he notices the rope leashes tying him to either post of the bed._ Dammit! _Yanking at the bonds, Zuko spends a moment of fruitless escape attempts during his initial panic. After he wears himself out and his wrists burn from the chaffing he stops rattling the bed so he can form an actual plan.

"This is pointless..." he mutters. Leaning back against the headboard he finally takes a moment to analyze his surroundings.

He's in a relatively small room with furnishings typical to a bedroom. There's a squat bookshelf, a decent sized dresser and a small, wooden chair next to the door. They all look like they've been formed straight from freshly cut lumber, though you can tell great care was put into creating them. The folksy, rustic style nags at something inside him. Shaking off the feeling of déjà he decides he should be more worried about waking up and having no idea where he is- not that it was an uncommon occurrence.

The blankets fall off of Zuko as he shifts into an uncomfortable squat and he shivers as the cool air hits his bare chest. Twisting around to look at his bonds he's forced to twist his arms over each other awkwardly. Zuko smirks with pleasure. The idiots had not only left his legs untied but they'd bound him in mediocre knots at best.

Just as he sets to work on the ropes the door of his room suddenly opens and a woman dressed in casual earth kingdom clothes enters with a tray of bandages.

"Well this is a new technique," she comments with some humor as she stares at Zuko looking awkward as he faces the wall.

"Who are you? Where am I?" demands Zuko as he twists around attempting to face the stranger but only manages to slip on the bedding and face plant onto the mattress. The woman laughs hardily before setting her tray down and walking toward Zuko.

"Akiro. About two days outside of Ba Sing Se. And I'm not going to hurt you in case you were curious about that," she says with a smile.

"Waking up in ropes doesn't exactly make you look like the good guy," Zuko cynically replies into the bedsheets.

"True, but you reacted poorly to the dart serum so we had to tie you up because you get violent when you're delirious."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you almost killing my brother in your feverish delirium, but you know what they say. An eye for an eye," Akiro says looking pointedly at his bruised side. "Though you did most of that to yourself."

Fury grabs at Zuko as he imagines these people beating him into submission. He doesn't trust a single word that's come out of that woman's mouth. If there's anything he's learned it's that when someone ties you up they're not your friend- especially if they feed you a line like 'they're not going to hurt you.' So he decides the time for playing nice is past.

"Look I don't know if this is the Fire Nation trying to pin me with false accusations but you'd better get one thing straight. There's a lot you don't know about me lady and I don't really enjoy fighting defenseless women but I'll do whatever it takes to bring down Ozai and his twisted schemes. Or Azula. Whoever is behind this."

Turning back to his ropes Zuko attempts to disintegrate them, but nothing happens.

"Wha..?" He takes another deep breath and- nothing. "Why can't I bend?" Turning back to Akiro he shouts, "What the hell did you do to me?"

"We didn't _do _anything! I told you. You reacted badly to the serum in our darts," her eyebrows pull together in concern. She'd been waiting to see if the effect would last and now she worries that it might be permanent.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko shouts as he begins to yank against the ropes again. This time he doesn't stop when his wrists ache and burn. The headboard rattles against the wall and the frame threatens to crack beneath him as Zuko thrashes around on the bed. "Get. These. Off. ME!"

"If you dont' calm down then I'll make you calm down!" the woman threatens.

Zuko ignores her and shouts in frustration as he struggles to remember what happened knowing that the memory is locked away in some foggy part of his mind. The last thing he remembers is escaping from the Kesai base, traveling and fighting with Katara- mostly fighting, then…nothing. What's more frustrating is that he is having trouble coordinating his fingers so that he can untie himself.

Maybe what that woman said about a bad reaction was true. All he knows is that he needs to find Katara. Zuko ignores the muffled shouts drifting through the door until a familiar voice rises above the rest.

"I told you we're not Fire Nation!" Zuko freezes. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. Before he can react though the door opens again and an elderly woman flanked by a lean, young man carrying a tray of food enters.

"I want to see Katara," he demands forcefully. The two women exchange a look then approach Zuko's bed. The older woman sets the tray of food on the bookshelf next to the bowl of water while the man looks on with a tense expression. He notices his hand twitching to his side where a sheathed sword is tied.

The old woman notices where Zuko's attention is directed. "Thank you for your help, Takumo. Why don't you go check in with your father."

"But he's dangerous," the boy named Takumo says obviously referring to Zuko.

"You bet I am, little Takumo," Zuko sneers.

The sound of scraping metal cuts through the air when he responds by unsheathing his sword.

"Takumo that's enough," commands the old woman. "Go. Now."

Zuko's attention returns to the old lady as she turns to face him, not waiting to see if the boy obeys her command. He grins as the young man angrily sheaths his sword and slams the door behind him.

"Now young man," the woman's weathered voice reminds him of his Uncle. "I understand that this must be difficult for you but you won't improve your situation by throwing a tantrum." Despite his situation, Zuko has the unexpected urge to reply with a 'yes ma'am.' He quickly stifles it, though, as the woman continues. "My name is Sasaki Hana, but you can call me Granny. I believe you've already met my daughter Akiro."

"A pleasure I'm sure, Granny. But I'm guessing you already know my name since I can hear Katara in the other room. So let's skip the friendly 'introductions' and get to the point," Zuko says with venom. "What do you want with us?"

"You will show Granny respect," Akira interjects as she steps forward aggressively.

"It's alright," the old woman say with a chuckle. "I like his directness. You're quite right Prince Zuko. Let's not play games."

Zuko's inside freeze at the mention of his former title. He guesses that trying to explain his new allegiance would probably be pointless now. "Your water bender tells me that you are traveling to Ba Sing Se so that you can send word to your traveling companions. Now that sounds perfectly innocent to me but it's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of entertaining such interesting guests and I'd like to hear more of your story."

Zuko hesitates. They're obviously testing him to see if his story matches Katara's. Keeping them separate was smart on their part. Desperation begins to sprout within him. He wants to see Katara. He needs to look into her eyes and hear her tell him that she's okay. More importantly, though, he has to apologize to her for everything. But asking for Katara now would seem like he was trying to corroborate his story with hers.

"It seems like you already know a lot about me and Katara, but I don't know much about you. How about you tell me how I wound up tied to a bed and I can tell you how I wound up in that forest. I scratch your back. You scratch mine." While it was obvious that Katara told them where she and Zuko are headed, he isn't sure how much else she's shared. Most of all though, he doesn't know if he can trust these people with their story.

"Fair enough," says Granny. "Since I wasn't there when my children found you, I'll let Akira share that story." With that Granny turns to the tray of food and begins to prepare it. Akira rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms but doesn't step any closer to Zuko.

"I guess Granny probably wants me to tell you _why _we were in that forest to begin with. My brother, his son and I were in that forest looking for an animal that had been picking off the livestock of the nearby villages.

After a few hours of searching the forest we saw your fire and decided to investigate. Thieves were just as likely as an animal," Akira says giving Zuko a distrustful stare. "It became obvious as we approached that there was no guard so we decided to wait and see who you were. There was a girl crying alone by the fire," Akira gives Zuko another accusing look as she continues. "We were about to reveal ourselves when Takumo pointed out that your traveling supplies suggested there were two people in this traveling group.

That's when I told them to wait while I went out to find the girl's companion. Imagine my surprise when I returned to discover the two of you passed out on top of each other. You with _two _darts stuck in your back, the girl tied up and bleeding, and my stupid brother and nephew standing over you." At this point Akira rubs her face in frustration. "They told me that you had used fire bending so they had to capture you. I told them that didn't mean they had to attack you from behind like cowards but being the idiots they are-"

"Thank you Akira," Granny says cutting off Akira's rant. Picking up the tray of prepared food she sets it in front of Zuko. "They brought you and your friend back to my house since I have so many empty rooms. We bandaged you all up and then waited for you to wake up. Of course, we did not anticipate your poor reaction to the darts but that's how you ended up here."

"Yeah what are you talking about when you say I reacted poorly?" Zuko asks.

Granny reaches a hand out to place it on Zuko's arm in a natural display of motherly affection but retracts it when he eyes it distrustfully. "We did not know you were already recovering from injuries when the boys decided to shoot you with a dart. Our darts are dipped in a home brewed sedative. It's a precise combination of a few local herbs that is meant to knock even the largest man out in seconds, which is why the boys panicked when you appeared to be resisting the serum."

"But what do you mean when I reacted badly?" Zuko persists. "Does this have something to do with why I can't bend?"

"It makes sense that there would be someone who was allergic to the serum," Grenny prefaces. "It's unfortunate that the boys shot that person with two darts. You are lucky to be alive, young man. You came down with a high fever, had a seizure and were semi conscious with delirium for the past three days. Because the serum is injected in your blood stream there was a very real chance you would not wake up."

"And now I can't bend." _Not to mention control of my limbs seems to be tenuous. _

"I'm afraid we'll learn along with you whether or not that is permanent." Clapping her hands together Granny motions toward the tray before Zuko. "Now I'm guessing that you are very hungry since you've been dancing with death for a few days. I'll bet you want your hands free for that. In your own words Prince Zuko, I've scratched your back. Now it's your turn to honor your word. Akira?"

Though she obviously disagrees with this decision, Akira removes the dagger from her belt and approaches Zuko. He forces himself not to flinch away from her. She cuts his left arm free then his right. Zuko wastes no time thanking his captors as he jumps up from his bed and darts toward the door. His fears are confirmed as his slow, uncoordinated limbs send him banging painfully into the corner of the dresser. He tumbles over the wooden chair before he finally escapes out of the room. He curses his weak legs as he trips over his own feet forcing him to lean against the wall for support. His bruised side throbs but it is the least of his worries.

He hears Akira shout after him but senses no pursuit. Protecting that dotty old lady no doubt. He stumbles forward until he sees a hallway to his left. Quickly plunging down it he belatedly realizes that two men sit in kitchen at the end of the passage and he curses his luck until he notices Katara sitting with them at a table. Zuko stands in the doorway staring at the scene in confusion. Katara sits next to the window on the opposite side of the round table with the man named Takumo to her right and another burlier man to her left. Katara hops up when she notices him panting in the doorway.

"Zuko!" she exclaims in surprise. The two men immediately swivel around to stare at the wild escapee. One tries to inconspicuously reach over to a sword leaning against the table but Zuko doesn't hesitate as he charges forward into the larger of the two.

"Zuko, no! Don't fight them!" he hears Katara shout, but he ignores her warning.

As soon as the first man falls the other, Takumo, yanks him up off his comrade. Zuko throws an elbow back into Takumo's nose who immediately yelps and releases Zuko to cradle face. He aims another blow at the younger man's face but strong hand grabs his arm before he can deliver the blow. The big man yanks Zuko off his feet using the arm he'd grabbed so he's dangling a few inches above the wood floor.

"Stop this," the large man commands as if Zuko was merely acting like spoiled child. He jerks Zuko back and forth as he attempts to literally shake some sense into him. Zuko grabs at his shoulder in pain. It was still weak from being dislocated a week ago. He can feel it groaning against the abuse.

"Please put him down, Hiro" Katara says in a strained voice as she moves from behind the table. No doubt she knows the condition of his shoulder since she'd been the one to heal him after they'd escaped from their first capture. When neither man moves Zuko attempts to make his captured hand scalding hot. Sweat beads on his forehead as he struggles to produce the basic bending technique. After a moment of intense concentration he senses a slight change in his inner fire. Suddenly the man drops Zuko with a pained shout. Zuko gives a triumphant laugh as he crouches on the ground.

Upon seeing his comrade burned Takumo shouts angrily and raises his sword. Steeling himself against his growing dizziness Zuko looks around him for another sword. Finding himself with no options Zuko balls his fists and lunges despite the raised weapon. Before either can connect with their target, a large wave of water collides with Zuko, Takumo, and the large man sending them into the wall. With his dizziness finally overwhelming him, Zuko slides to the floor unable to recover from the shock of Katara defending his attackers. They, however, are able to recover quickly. Just as quickly though Katara slides between the two men to place herself between them and Zuko.

"Stop fighting!" she shouts as she throws her arms out blocking Zuko from their fists and weapons. Zuko watches in complete surprise as the two soaked men immediately step back and lower their fists. He doesn't know why they stopped and he doesn't care. He focuses his failing energy to pull himself back up into an upright position. Katara quickly turns around points an angry finger at Zuko who flinches away from it.

"Zuko stop it. These are not our enemies," she says with authority.

"What are you talking about?" he shouts back. "I wake up tied to a bed, unable to bend and you're defending them?"

Katara immediately regrets her harsh tone. Placing a cool hand on his cheek she continues in a gentler voice. "It's not what you think. Let me explain."

* * *

**You are going to hate me for this chapter because it poses more questions and offers only a few answers. Like who has captured our two lovers? What do they want? Will Zuko and Katara ever reconcile? All in good time folks. **

**please, Please, PLEASE review! love, M-useless100 **


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